First Pitch: Finding a Middle Ground in the Jon Lester/Josh Bell Debate

The lead up to the trade deadline has been pretty bland so far. The Pirates are looking at relievers. The Pirates are looking at more relievers. They like A.J. Burnett, kind of, but don't like his salary for 2015. More relievers. Interest in Marlon Byrd, for some reason. Relievers. Not really interested in Burnett anymore because of the 2015 salary. Just to specify: left-handed relievers.

And that was the way it was until this afternoon, when news came out that the Pirates were emerging as dark-horse candidates for Jon Lester. That's a big rumor, but it's not too far off what we've heard before, with the Pirates showing interest in Lester. The key difference here is that Josh Bell's name was thrown in to the Passan rumors, which created an afternoon and evening of debates over a theoret...

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Tim is the owner and editor in chief of Pirates Prospects. He started the site in January 2009, and turned it into his full time job during the 2011 season. Prior to starting Pirates Prospects, Tim worked with AccuScore.com, providing MLB, NHL, and NFL coverage to various national media outlets, including ESPN Insider, USA Today, Yahoo Sports, and the Wall Street Journal. He also writes the annual Prospect Guide, which is sold through the site. Tim lives in Bradenton, where he provides live coverage all year of Spring Training, mini camp, instructs, the Bradenton Marauders, and the GCL Pirates.